Fan clicks briefly during startup, occasionally.
Fan clicks briefly during startup, occasionally.
I have a month-old Corsair RM850X 2024 (The one with the manual fan speed adjuster).
It's hot where I live, my room does not have AC so I keep the fan on all at times on it's minimal setting and adjust it manually whenever I start gaming. I've noticed something whenever I forget to set the speed back to minimal when I turn off my PC -
Sometimes (not all the time), whenever I do a fresh boot, the fan will make a very brief clicking sound. Like brief as in not even a second long. It's 3 clicks in a rapid succession and then it is completely silent for the rest of the day. It's a very consistent sound. It's not the click of the power-inrush-relay-thing as that happens a few seconds later.
I'm fairly certain it's the fan because it has only occurred whenever the fan-speed knob was set to higher than minimal. Whenever I boot with the fan off or set to it's minimal setting, I don't hear the sound (as of yet).
I've already checked the PSU thoroughly - it is clean and there are no wires or cords making contact with the fan.
My GPU has passive cooling and whenever the fans kick on there is an audible click from the motor (GTX 1660 super, apparently considered 'normal' behavior). So my first thought is that since this PSU also has 'passive cooling', the click could just be from the motor turning on and instantly going to a higher RPM? The fan click from the PSU and fan click from my GPU sound identical.
I am only a little worried, mostly just wanting to confirm that it is indeed the fan making the noise. I'm okay with the noise if it seems like a 'normal' behavior. All GPUs and PSUs I put in my system are cursed with some sort of noise whether it be coil whine or something else xD.
Any insight is appreciated!
I'm curious about why you even adjust the manual fan control for the PSU?
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The GTX 1660 Super has a 125W GPU, and any extra load on your 850W PSU won't push it to require active cooling. You can simply keep the PSU running at zero RPM indefinitely. When the PSU does get warm, it will automatically activate the fan when necessary (for example, if the load increases to about half or more of its maximum capacity).
I own a GTX 1660 Ti with a Seasonic PRIME TX-650 PSU, and my PSU has a semi-passive fan setting. Over the past nine years, the load on it has rarely reached levels that require the fan to turn on.
When temperatures drop, I tend to keep it alone without interference. However, as it warms up to 80-85°F each day, the heat becomes intense and keeps increasing. This makes me concerned about potential overloads on my PSU. When I run it at a low speed with games on during hot weather, the back panel feels quite warm, which adds to my worries. Do PSUs automatically adjust fan speeds based on temperature? I only see references to load handling.
I reside in a Celsius-based world, so the range spans from 26.6C to 29.4C, which matches the typical room temperature I experience. Presently, my environment sits at 27C.
If you examine PC parts, they all display temperatures in Celsius as well.
So, perhaps you could stop gaming then.
Since gaming increases the strain on CPU and GPU, causing them to generate excess heat and further raise the room temperature, it might be better to adjust your surroundings.
Opening the door or windows, using a floor fan to circulate air, can help maintain a cooler space.
Your power supply unit is built to handle up to 50C (122F). Unless your room temperature exceeds that, you’re safe.
The human body maintains around 37C; feeling warmth would require temperatures near 40C or higher. At 44C or above, discomfort or pain would set in.
Source: white paper (*.pdf download): https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/2010...020960.pdf
Even though the PSU’s backside reaches about 40C, it’s still far from ideal before internal components face problems. So, sticking to the default fan setting (zero RPM) is advisable.
Another angle: running the fan manually accelerates wear, potentially shortening the PSU’s lifespan. Once the fan fails, the PSU may not function properly until the system resets. Keeping it at zero RPM helps prolong its life.
The OTP feature ensures this protection, and your PSU includes a fan failure safeguard so the 140mm fan won’t overheat.
Additionally, the PSU’s dedicated fan controller chip (Microchip PIC16F1503) reacts to internal temperature changes.
Moreover, it has built-in fan failure protection—when the large fan should stop working, the PSU prevents overheating.
Review of protections: https://hwbusters.com/psus/corsair-rm850...-review/8/
In summary, there’s no need to adjust manually unless the power draw is high—then cooling becomes necessary. For typical loads, the PSU handles it without issues.
It is accurate. Nevertheless, the review you found was RM750x (2024), not RM850x (2024). TH review: This indicates that the RM750x (2024) doesn’t meet an 80+ Platinum rating, but it does achieve 80+ Gold. If you examine actual PSU reviews, the RM850x (2024) shows significantly better efficiency. HWbusters: https://hwbusters.com/psus/corsair-rm850...-review/7/ KitGuru: https://www.kitguru.net/components/...or...-review/5/ Guru3D: https://www.guru3d.com/review/corsair-rm...efficiency Also worth mentioning is that PSU performs most efficiently when the load stays between 50% and 80% of its rated capacity. If you exceed 90% or 100%, efficiency decreases for all units. For example, here are the efficiency results for my Seasonic PSU: TH review: My PSU is rated 80+ Titanium and is considered one of the most efficient available. However, even the top models experience efficiency drops when the load goes beyond 50%. As mentioned earlier, with a typical load around 200W, you won’t face any worries about your PSU’s performance.
It wasn't something I expected to happen. I've seen a lot of generic customer support replies over the years whenever I faced problems, no matter how serious. It took some time to locate the support email for Corsair, especially since it doesn't appear on their site at all. I sent an email about the issue and received a quick reply from an AI suggesting it might be the fan motor starting up and adjusting speed, but since that didn't last, it was just normal. If it changes or gets worse, I should send another email or support ticket.
I'm pretty familiar with PCs, but PSUs always seem to trip me up. Thanks. For now, I'll keep the fan off and focus on ensuring good airflow in my room and around my desk.
In the current environment, the "AI chatbox" (Web Widget) is the standard for customer assistance. When the AI fails to address your question, you can proceed to submit a real support ticket where a human representative reviews your case.
For more details, refer to the guide at https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/a...o-...ve-product. Although it falls under the RMA section, it explains how to bypass the AI chatbox and open a support ticket.
Thank you, yes. Bookmarking for later use. Also, figured it's not the PSU fan causing the sound. The noise seems to travel strangely in my tower, but I heard it twice over four days when the PSU fan was off. I check every time I power on my PC; it probably comes from one of the standard case fans on my tower. Both are pretty old—around 3 to 4 years.
Take a look at the side panel of your PC and place your ear there to determine the source of the sound. There are relatively few moving components inside the system. The most likely cause would be the HDD reading arm or head reset if you have an HDD installed. If not, inspect the second fan. Also check the AIO pump, especially if your CPU comes with an AIO cooler.